


Iced Over

by Weevilo707



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Found Family, Gen, Inspired by Frozen (2013), Temporary Character Death, it fine tho
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-19
Updated: 2019-07-19
Packaged: 2020-07-08 20:57:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19875967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Weevilo707/pseuds/Weevilo707
Summary: Taako had never meant for any of this to happen, but he didn't know how to balance himself without Lup around anymore. The only thing he could do was keep everyone else at arms length, or further preferably. But he fucked up, and now everything had gone to shit and he didn't know how to fix it.If people had just stayed away, none of this would be an issue.





	Iced Over

**Author's Note:**

  * For [astrivikia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/astrivikia/gifts).



The thing was, they’d always balanced each other. That was how it worked. Lup was all burning passion and warmth and light, comforting and dangerous in equal measure. Taako was cold clarity and frigid and sharp, steady and solid.

Or as they like to say, fucking fire and ice baby.

There had been issues growing up, of course. That time Lup got too excited and nearly burned the whole damn castle down, or the time Taako had been in a bad mood and all the food he touched froze into solid chunks of ice for a week. Of course they’d messed up with their powers in the past before, but they’d always had each other to fall back on. It was always alright as long as they had each other.

Except Lup wasn’t here anymore though.

And Taako had really fucked up this time.

He didn’t know where she went. There were issues, always issues in the kingdom, and Lup didn’t like to leave other people to fix their problems for them. She liked to go off and fix it herself, and it was fine. It was usually fine.

He didn’t know why it wasn’t fine this time, but Lup hadn’t come back. Taako didn’t know where she went, and he didn’t know what to do.

There was only one thing he  _ could _ do. Wait.

When Lup didn’t come back, Taako started sealing off the castle. Lup was always the better ruler between the two of them, the one who was open and friendly and  _ warm _ to their subjects. With her gone he was sure no one was surprised when the castle suddenly became so much colder. So much emptier.

No one was around to notice the unnatural chill that spread around him, the way glass would frost up as he held it. And even with no one around, he still tried to keep it under wraps. He started wearing gloves and thick layers of clothes, anything he could to keep the cold contained.

The issue was he could only spend so long keeping everyone locked out. Lup was  _ gone, _ and they didn’t exactly have parents. He was the only one left. As much as he didn’t give a shit, he knew Lup did, or does, or whatever was going on with her, and so he needed to step up and actually rule at some point.

Taako really did try and wait as long as possible though. He  _ tried _ to make sure he had his shit under control.

He waited until summer. It was hot, maybe hot enough that people wouldn’t notice the chill around him. It’d been a few years now, and he would have waited longer. If he didn’t get crowned soon though people would start to challenge him for it, and sure, Taako didn’t give that much of a shit about ruling a country, especially not at this point. Lup did though, and if-  _ when _ she came back, he wanted to make sure she hadn’t lost everything.

And it was only for one day. Once he was officially crowned he could go back to issuing decrees from behind closed doors until Lup got back. He just had to keep his cool (ha!) for one day around a bunch of people, and it would be fine. He could do one day.

“It’s coronation day! It’s coronation day!” a chipper voice said, and Taako jolted more than he meant. Immediately he drew his hands into his cloak, praying no one would notice the air dropping a few degrees.

“Fuck, what did I tell you about sneaking like that?” he snapped, and Angus grinned sheepishly, not actually looking that apologetic.

“Sorry sir! I was just so excited for your coronation! Are you excited?” Angus asked, and Taako shrugged, still struggling to keep himself calm.

“Yeah, for sure,” he muttered. Heading off to the main hall, Angus trotted along after him.

He’d hired the kid a couple months ago, and he’d been the only person Taako let freely in and out of the castle in that time. He was a detective and was supposed to be looking for Lup. It was kind of a desperate move, hiring a toddler, but so far the kid had gotten better results than literally anyone else Taako had tried. So, the kid stayed.

And Taako would never fucking admit it, but he didn’t mind Angus’s company. It was better than being alone, even if it was more risk than he should be taking.

Despite all of his panic, the coronation actually ended up going… fine. It was fine. He could barely remember the words and he felt ice start to curl up the scepter in his hand, but it was quick enough that no one noticed. He was  _ sure _ no one had noticed.

No, everything didn’t fall apart until the ball afterwards. He didn’t even want to have it, but it was traditional. He should have said fuck tradition like he had with everything else, but he figured just a few hours longer wouldn't hurt.

Taako tried to stick by the food and avoid talking to as many people as possible. It wasn’t too hard, he was pretty good at giving the cold shoulder (maybe if he made enough shitty puns, Lup would materialize and smack him).

“Hello sir! Congratulations on being king!” Angus said, popping up by the food table, and Taako let himself relax the slightest bit. He’d been putting up with Angus for months now, he could deal with him being around. It wasn’t too dangerous.

“Yeah I mean, it doesn’t change shit, but sure, congrats,” he said, trying to be flippant about all of this. If he didn’t act like it was a big deal than it wasn’t.

“Sir, if you don’t mind, could I ask you something?” Angus said, which wasn’t unusual for the kid in the slightest. He never ran out of questions, it’d be infuriating if he didn’t actually get results. 

“Knock yourself out,” he said, grabbing another finger sandwich and shoving it into his mouth before it had time to start to frost over.

“Why do you hide your ice powers sir?”

That was when it all went to shit.

Taako couldn't answer, trying to figure out when Angus could have possibly figured it out. If he knew then other people might know, probably did know. He could feel the panic start to spiral, and it wasn’t like he wanted to have this dumb coronation to begin with! Now people knew, and it didn’t matter that he had gloves on, the chill in the room growing as ice started forming around his hands in a panic.

“Sir? Sir are you alright?” Angus asked, but Taako could barely focus on it for the fearful whispers of everyone else. He could see people starting to back up in confusion. He wished Lup was here, if she was then none of this would be happening.

“Mr. Taako, we should go,” Angus said, moving closer and reaching out for him, probably to try and usher him away from all the stares. Before he could touch him though Taako took a frantic step back, knocking into the food table and definitely spilling something. His hands immediately gripped it to try and steady both it and himself, and he could see ice starting to spread along there as well.

“You need to step off kiddo,” Taako said, hoping the kid listened. It didn’t seem like he would, taking another defiant step forward.

“No, that’s- I can help,” Angus insisted.

“Angus, I swear,” Taako snapped. He tried to take another step, but the floor was starting to ice too, and he was still up against the table.

Even though he was panicking, looking back Taako could say he should have listened to the kid. Not to go with him, he couldn’t do that, but just to get the fuck out of there. He’d taken too long, and more and more ice was building up around him, and people had started to panic.

Taako didn’t even see who the first person was to try and charge him. He just saw someone coming at him with a blade, and in a panic he tore the gloves off, sending out a blast of ice and chill to keep them back.

And he  _ told _ Angus to get away from him! He didn’t mean to- it wasn’t his  _ fault! _

None of that mattered now though. He left. As fast as he could, he got the fuck out of dodge. The air around his stayed chilly, getting progressively colder too, until snow was starting to come down and blanket the ground. That might have been because of going up the mountain too though.

Taako didn’t know how long he’d been running when he finally stopped and looked back. He could still make out the lights from the town, but that was only because of the elevation. Wind and snow was whipping around him, the temperature freezing, although he never really felt it like everyone else did.

He was completely alone, and the thought was as relieving as it was terrifying. Looking around at the barren area, Taako took a deep breath and starting trying to control and form the ice in a way he hadn’t since Lup left. There was no one out here he could hurt, and besides, he needed a place to stay.

Locking himself up in a palace of ice seemed pretty damn fitting, all things considered.

It couldn’t have been anymore than a day or two. He was trying so hard not to think about the time, which was already creeping by painfully slow, or anything that had happened when he left. The most he would let himself think was that maybe it wasn’t as bad as it looked. Maybe he missed, and even if he didn’t there wasn’t a damn thing him being around would do but put everyone in more danger.

He barely had the time to convince himself that everyone else would be fine when proof that they very much weren’t came trudging up to his door.

Taako didn’t know what to think when he heard footsteps slowly echoing through the halls of his new palace. He didn’t think people would be crazy enough to chase him up here, but maybe it was guards. Maybe he fucked up more people than he realized, and they wanted revenge. They probably deserved revenge, but he sure as fuck wasn’t going to let himself be killed.

He started pulling ice up around himself, in jagged shards so that people would just stay away. If people were smart and left him alone in the first place none of this would have ever been a problem.

The resolve to protect himself faded as soon as he saw the form coming up the steps to him, shivering and having to catch himself on the wall to keep from slipping.

It felt like someone had taken an icepick to his heart. Despite that the sharp walls around him grew up higher, cut him off just that little bit more.

“The fuck are you doing here pumpkin?” Taako asked, trying to sound annoyed or angry or  _ something, _ but instead the words just came out tired and worried. Angus took a few more steps so that he wasn’t right up against the end of the stairs, and the kid was shaking like a leaf.

“Y-you need to come b-back to town, sir,” Angus said, and Taako could hear his teeth clacking together as he spoke. Taako wanted to take a step back as he got closer, but the ice was starting to snake up his legs now, holding him in place.

“Yeah, that ain’t happening,” he said, and as Angus moved closer he could see him more clearly. He looked like he was slowly freezing solid, and Taako couldn’t pretend that his attack had missed anymore.

He couldn’t pretend that Angus wasn’t going to fucking die and it wasn't all his fault.

“Sir, I’m n-not leaving,” Angus insisted, looking like he was trying to steel himself. The effect was diminished by the way he had to quickly fold in on himself again, dissolving into shivers. Taako did not appreciate the fucking emotions he couldn’t stop feeling at the sight.

“Are you trying to die faster? Go somewhere warm,” he said, even though he knew it was probably too late. He didn’t know how to fix this and he didn’t have the time to figure out.

“T-that’s just it sir. There’s not really… anywhere warm  _ l-left,” _ Angus said, and Taako’s shoulders slumped at that.

“That’s cause you’re freezing pumpkin,” he said, and even though it was hopeless Taako was trying to think of something he could do. If Lup was here she would be able to fix this. At the very least, she could have kept Angus warm until they thought of something.

“Oh, no. Not- not that s-sir,” Angus said, and Taako paused, confusion clear on his face. “It’s uh, kinda c-cold, and wintry everywhere now,” he continued, and Taako felt his stomach drop out of him at that. He fell to his knees, the ice that had built up around his legs breaking in shards and cracking underneath him.

“Fuck… fuck no, that’s not- I didn’t fucking want this,” he muttered, speaking to himself more than Angus. He could hear the kid still slowly making his way closer, even though the smart thing would be to run as far away from him as he could and not look back.

“That’s why y-you need to come back and fix it sir,” Angus insisted, but Taako shook his head, his hands tangled up in his hair.

“No! I can’t! Don’t you get that? I don’t know _ how,” _ he snapped, snow and ice starting to blow around the room now. Angus looked like he was having a hard time getting his body to even more now.

“W-we can figure it out, l-lemme help,” Angus said, not letting this go, why couldn’t he just let this go?

“Leave,” Taako insisted, curling up on himself more as the snow got stronger. It was only getting worse and Taako shouldn’t even care. He never cared about anyone but Lup and Lup was gone so what the fuck did it matter?

“No,” Angus said, and Taako always knew the kid was stubborn. It was part of why he liked him. Right now though he just wished he’d give the fuck up already.

_ “Go,” _ he snapped, another burst of wind whipping through the room as more ice spikes grew up around Taako.

“I won’t!” Angus yelled back immediately. Taako wasn’t looking up but he could tell the kid was closer now. He needed to get Angus away from him before he made it worse. “W-we can figure out a way to s-stop this,” he continued, and Taako didn’t bother responding. Maybe if he ignored him Angus would get the picture.

“T-Taako,” he said, and then Taako felt a hand reach out and grab him through the tangle of ice he’d weaved around himself.

“No!” Taako shouted, immediately jerking back, a shock of cold blasting out from around him. The ice that had twisted around him shattered, and as soon as it was over Taako realized what he’d done.

Angus had been knocked back like he wanted. He wasn’t leaving though. He wasn’t moving at all, his form frozen solid. Taako knew it was going to happen. He fucking  _ told _ the kid to leave. He tried to stop it every step of the way, it wasn’t his  _ fault. _

He still found himself panicking as he immediately scrambled to his feet, nearly falling on his ass as he ran over to Angus.

“No, no no  _ no _ fuck no,” he said, dropping to his knees next to the kid. His hands were shaking as he reached out to touch him, although he knew it wasn’t from the temperature. The second his hand touched the kid’s skin he flinched back, his eyes starting to sting when he felt how cold and solid the kid was. Just fucking ice.

“I didn’t- I didn’t mean to,” he said, although there was no one around to even justify himself to. Just a kid who was trying to help him that he fucking killed.

“I’m sorry… I didn’t- I’m sorry,” he said, reaching out and wrapping his arms around Angus in a hug, his whole body shuddering now. “Damn it… can’t lose you too…” Taako didn’t know why he was still talking. He just wanted to fix this somehow.

“…s-sir?”

Taako froze, pretty fucking sure he was hearing things. As he held Angus though he could feel that his form was no longer completely rigid, could feel him shifting ever so slightly as he breathed. Reluctantly Taako pulled back, trying to tell himself that he wasn’t afraid to look down and see the kid still frozen because there was no  _ way _ it would just reverse like that. There was nothing to get his hopes up about.

Except when he looked, Angus was no longer iced over. He still looked cold as fuck, but he was alive.

“Are you feeling better now sir?” Angus asked, and Taako blinked, letting out a somewhat disbelieving laugh.

“Am  _ I _ feeling better? Kid, you realize you fucking died, right?” he asked, definitely not having to reach up and wipe away a few tears. Angus nodded, still sitting slumped up against him.

“I was trying to  _ tell you _ sir, I’m known about the magic for a while now. You weren’t very good at hiding it,” Angus said, and welp. Taako guessed he should have seen that one coming, the kid being a detective and all. “I tried looking into it, and there was a bunch of stuff about about how that kind of stuff is really- it’s got a lot to do with emotions. So I thought your powers might have been giving you trouble because you’re upset about your sister,” he finished.

“Huh,” Taako said, kind of speechless. It made sense all right. He just sure did not expect the kid to figure out that much, on something he hadn’t even realized he was investigating. “So uh, how do you explain undoing the whole ice pop I turned you into?” he asked, and Angus shrugged.

“The books talked a lot about how love could undo the worst of the magics,” he said, casual as anything. Taako snorted, pushing the kid off of his lap. Maybe a bit gentler than he would be in normal circumstances. As far as anyone knew, he was just fucking tired from all that.

“Yeah, I think some of your research might be bullshit,” he said, slowly pushing himself to his feet. He could see outside of the castle, and the storm that had been present since he’d first ran off was gone now.

“If you say so sir,” Angus said, letting Taako help him back to his feet. Kid was still pretty shaky, and besides the floor was made of goddamn ice. Taako didn’t want him falling and cracking his head open right after getting him back.

“You wanna head back to the castle now sir?” Angus asked, and Taako let out a long sigh before nodding.

“Yeah, we need to get you someplace warm,” he said. The place was made of ice, so Taako was just planning on keeping a hand on the kid until they got out.

And then he realized he had a  _ hand _ on Angus, without gloves or anything else keeping him locked away. Angus must’ve noticed the way he’d stopped, looking over at him in confusion for a moment. He seemed to quickly realize what the issue was, smiling and grabbing his hand without any sort of fear.

“Everything good sir? We should get back soon, I think I have a new lead on Ms. Lup,” Angus said, and Taako forced himself to take a breath before nodding.

“Yeah, let’s go pumpkin,” he said.

Taako knew that he couldn’t feel the cold the same way as everyone else, but even still, as they left the castle of ice he’d made himself, he felt warmer than he had in months.

**Author's Note:**

> this was a request for astrivikia, and was a lot of fun! Taako caring for angus is indeed my soft spot that gets me every time. 
> 
> as always, thanks for reading and i hope you enjoyed!


End file.
